The Rogue's Secret
by SwiftbirdTC
Summary: This is my first Warrior Cats fanfiction I'm publishing, so go easy! As a young apprentice, Tanglepaw is faced with the challenge of finding out what really happened on a death-cursed night where an innocent Clanmate was killed. All the other cats just assume what happened, but Tanglepaw wants to be sure. I suck at summaries; the story is way better than it sounds. :P
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

 **ThunderClan**

Leader: Brindlestar – Light brown she-cat with pale light brown stripes and pale green eyes

Deputy: Ravenfrost – Black she-cat with silver patches and deep blue eyes, temporarily retired as queen

Medicine cat: Snowdapple – White she-cat with silver dapples along her back and clear blue eyes

Warriors

Hawkflight – Light brown tabby tom, temporary deputy

Bristlethorn – Mottled brown tom

Frozenpool – Pale silver she-cat with blue eyes

Crowflower – Black she-cat with green eyes

Frostedwind – Light gray tom with white patches

Robingaze – Medium brown she-cat

Cherryfrost – Golden she-cat with ginger tabby stripes and bright green eyes

Dawnsplash – Dark gray she-cat with lighter gray underbelly

Hollythorn – Dusky brown she-cat with white paws, a white underbelly, and a white collar (Natural fur pattern, not Twoleg collar) [Apprentice: Sunpaw]

Birdfall – Small black she-cat with dull yellow eyes

Pineleap – Powerful black tom, tinged with brown

Firtail – Cream-and-brown she-cat with green eyes

Leopardfang – Large golden tom with black patches

Apprentices

Sunpaw – Pale golden tom with light brown patches and yellow eyes [Mentor: Hollythorn]

Queens

Ravenfrost – Black she-cat with silver patches and deep blue eyes, former deputy [Kits: Tanglekit (dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes) and Stormykit (smoky gray she-cat with blue eyes)][Mate: Frostedwind]

Tigerwing – Black she-cat tinged with silver [expecting kits with Leopardfang]

Elders

Honeysap – Solid golden she-cat tinged with ginger and with dark green eyes

Duskwing – Small light gray she-cat

 **ShadowClan**

Leader: Ivystar – Beautiful black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat with dark green eyes

Deputy: Cloudflame – Dark gray tom with black and ginger patches

Medicine cat: Frostflower – White she-cat

 **WindClan**

Leader: Featherstar – Brown and white tom

Deputy: Finchtalon – Silver tabby tom

Medicine cat: Streamlight – Dark cream she-cat [Apprentice: Mistypaw]

 **RiverClan**

Leader: Hollowstar – Dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Breezecloud – Dappled brown she-cat

Medicine cat: Pebblesplash – Bluish gray tom with large white patches


	2. Troublemakers

**DISCLAIMER!** If I owned Warriors, Cinderpelt would have been made a warrior (Aw, poor Cindery!). Meaning, I don't own Warriors!

[Note: this takes place in the lake territories, generations after Firestar and the cats from the series lived]

A smoky gray paw prodded Tanglekit awake. "Get up," Stormykit whispered.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Tanglekit lifted her head. "What…?" she mumbled.  
Stormykit poked her littermate again. "Wake up!"

Shaking her head, Tanglekit stretched and got out of her nest, following Stormykit's tail beckoning her out of the nursery. Dawn had just passed and the patrols had already left. Tanglekit glanced around. Hawkflight, the Clan's temporary deputy, was standing near the Highledge, his head held high. ThunderClan's deputy was Ravenfrost, but she had been expecting kits—and just happened to be Tanglekit and Stormykit's mother—so had stepped down from her position to become a queen while Brindlestar had appointed the tabby warrior as a temporary deputy. Tanglekit gazed admiringly at him. She wanted to be like that, too, one day, standing confidently, overseeing that her Clanmates-

"Tanglekit!" Stormykit's impatient mew sounded from across the hollow, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you coming or what?" Tanglekit's ears flicked up as she darted across the clearing to her sister.

"Sorry," she panted. She scanned her surroundings. "What are we doing here, anyway?"

"Just come." Tanglekit knew that Stormykit was impatient sometimes, but it was always for the better. She was the opposite of Stormypaw, her mother's littermate who had died young from attempting to climb the Sky Oak. She had been a great climber and got overconfident in herself, and so Ravenfrost had always told them to know their limits. She had also said that once she realized Stormypaw had joined StarClan, she wanted to say to her that she was "a cat, not a bird," but it had been too late. That was where Stormykit got her name from, although she was not like the sweet Stormypaw.

Tanglekit flicked her ears and focused on her sister's lead, pushing through a thin sheet of twigs between the apprentices' den and the warriors' den.

"Look," Stormykit breathed. The two kits were now lodged in a shadowed corner between the bushes. "You can see the nests if you peek under."

Tanglekit copied her sister as she poked her muzzle through the bottom of the warriors' den wall. Then Stormykit's ears perked up in excitement. "See, no one's in it but Frostedwind." Frostedwind was their father.

Tanglekit squinted, peering at her father's gray-and-white pelt rising and falling. She looked questioningly at her sister. "What are we going to do?" she asked her.

Stormykit's tail-tip twitched. "Since he's sleeping, we can… hmm… let's see…" A worm of anxiety sprouted in Tanglekit's belly, but she pushed it away. Suddenly Stormykit's eyes lit up. "We can put ferns in the warriors' nests!"

Tanglekit felt relief flood through her. Stormykit didn't have any trouble on her mind! And she was right; the ferns would make the nests much softer. They didn't have any use in medicine, anyway. Then she tensed as Stormykit went on: "It won't hurt them like nettle or thorns, but it will make their pelts tickle and itch all night! Of course they can move them out of the way, but they'll never know who did it!"

"Wait…" Tanglekit mewed softly. "We shouldn't do this."

Stormykit looked at her, bewildered. "Why not?"

Tanglekit shifted her paws. "Because it's… it's…" She searched for the right words. "It's just wrong!" she blurted. Stormykit glanced nervously towards the warrior's den, where Frostedwind's ears twitched and he stirred slightly, then went back to his gentle snoring. Both the kits' muscles relaxed with relief.

Stormykit leaned closer to Tanglekit. "Be more careful next time," she hissed quietly. "And keep your ears low."

By now it was midway between dawn and sunhigh. The patrols would be due back soon, and by then the camp would be bustling with action. "Come on," Stormykit urged, and Tanglekit padded after her to the elders' den. "We can—" Stormykit broke off, her ears flat to her head as she crouched. Tanglekit copied her as she noticed what had spooked her sister.

Honeysap, one of the Clan's elders, was limping out of the den towards the dirtplace. She had been a medicine cat but had her front leg injured when she fell into the stream by the WindClan border, hitting sharp rocks and leaving Snowdapple, her apprentice, to take over. Tanglekit stared in dismay at Honeysap's leg, where the fur had been torn off and would never grow properly again.

The crippled elder tasted the air and was about to continue on when Tanglekit got an idea. _If I draw attention to us, Honeysap will know where we are, and Stormykit won't be able to get away with this!_ she thought hopefully. Then she cast a doubtful glance toward her littermate. _What will Stormykit think?_ Then she shrugged. _I'll just say I forgot._

Tanglekit trotted toward Honeysap casually, her tail up. "Hi," she squeaked. Honeysap turned around.

"Good morning, Tanglekit," she replied. "What are you doing out so early? And where's your sister?"

"Oh, just exploring," the tabby kit answered absently. "And she's over there." She swiveled her ears toward the bracken clump Stormykit was crouching under.

Honeysap let out a purr when she saw Stormykit creeping out of her hiding place, looking ruffled. "What were you doing, hiding under there like a mouse?" she teased.

Stormykit opened her mouth, looking indignant, but Tanglekit thought fast. "She was probably just trying her tracking skills." Tanglekit turned to her sister. "You couldn't have done better if you had a mentor," she purred affectionately.

Stormykit narrowed her eyes playfully. "And you're saying that you could?" she countered, and sprang forward. They were a bundle of brown and gray fur as they tussled, rolling across the clearing. Suddenly, Tanglekit felt something soft brush her ear. She released Stormykit and looked up to see a mottled brown tom standing over them.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Don't you know there are more important things for a ThunderClan warrior to do than wrangle kits who can't behave?" Bristlethorn was known for being grumpy. His yellow stare bored into Tanglekit's pelt, making her shrink. But Stormykit stretched up onto her toes to meet him so their noses were almost touching, and exclaimed indignantly, "We weren't misbehaving!"

Tanglekit's belly lurched. That was not something the lowest rank in the Clan says to the grumpiest cat in it.

Bristlethorn narrowed his eyes. "Then what _were_ you doing?" he inquired icily.

Tanglekit felt blank. She took a small step back, and then Stormykit piped up again. "We were practicing our battle moves, for when we become apprentices!" she squeaked. Bristlethorn gazed at the two kits disapprovingly.

"You've still got two more moons left," he reminded them, as if they couldn't see it themselves. Stormykit opened her mouth, Tanglekit guessed, for a stinging retort, but Bristlethorn was already walking away.

"Great," Tanglekit muttered. She was caught off guard when Stormykit's fur bushed up. She glared hostilely into Tanglekit's green eyes.

"It's not my fault!" she hissed. "You're the one who went out and told Honeysap where we were!"

Stormykit's scathing tone pierced Tanglekit and made her defensive. "I didn't _tell_ her where we were!" she threw back.

The brown tabby kit drew a breath to continue when Stormykit murmured, "I'm sorry." Tanglekit froze, her mouth still open as her littermate went on. "I guess I just…" She trailed off and gazed at her sister, her eyes blank.

"It's okay," Tanglekit purred, rubbing her muzzle along Stormykit's cheek. "But you're still mouse-brained." Stormykit stiffened. She stared at Tanglekit vacantly. Hurt sparked in her eyes. "Come _on,_ Stormykit!" Tanglekit exclaimed. "It wasn't meant to hurt."

As she spoke, a gray blur barreled into Tanglekit's side and then Stormykit was on top of her. "Ha! You totally fell for that!" she crowed triumphantly. Then her ears flicked as the branches that guarded the nursery rustled. Tanglekit twisted under her sister's weight to see Ravenfrost emerging from the bush, shaking scraps of moss off her sleek black pelt. She used Stormykit's brief distraction as an opportunity to heave her off and trot up to her mother.

"Hi," she mewed cheerily. Ravenfrost greeted her with a flick of her tail over the tip of Tanglekit's ear. Stormykit scampered up behind her. "Hey!" she shouted.

Tanglekit turned around just in time to see a flash of bared teeth and then Stormykit had latched onto her shoulders. Tanglekit bucked around, squealing, and then stopped. Stormykit slid off her back.

"Wow, second time, Tanglekit," she teased. "That's what you get if you mess with Stormykit!" She fluffed up her fur so she looked twice her size.

A black paw gently made its way between them. "Tanglekit," Ravenfrost began. "I can show you a good technique for avoiding a pounce." Her gaze flicked to Stormykit. "Both of you."

The two kits bounced up excitedly. "What is it?" Stormykit questioned.

Ravenfrost didn't answer, just ordered Tanglekit, "Spring at me."

Tanglekit tensed, uncertain. She saw her mother's whiskers twitch once before she leaped up, aiming for the ears. Suddenly Ravenfrost's head cannoned into her. Pain shot through her neck down her spine. "Oof!" She fell to the ground, stunned.

Stormykit trotted up to Ravenfrost. "That was awesome!" she squeaked happily. But Ravenfrost ignored her kit. She stood next to Tanglekit within a single bound.

Ravenfrost lowered her head and sniffed Tanglekit's pelt worriedly. Tanglekit lifted her head. "Raven…?" she mumbled.

"Tanglekit," she answered, pressing her head into her kit's fur. "I'm here."

Stormykit appeared from behind Ravenfrost's hind paw and ventured out. As she approached, the fear in her eyes grew. Ravenfrost swung her head around. "Go back to the nursery," she told her. Reluctantly Stormykit started to trudge away.

Tigerwing's head poked out of the brambles. The black-and silver queen's eyes widened as she saw Tanglekit hunched over on the ground, but Stormykit spoke to her in a hushed voice and she herded the smoky kit away.

"Tanglekit…" Ravenfrost breathed one more time, then raised her head to the rest of the camp and called, "Snowdapple!"

There was no answer. "Snowdapple!" she yowled again.

A silver-and-white head poked out of the medicine den. "Yes?" The medicine cat glanced around the camp expectantly when she noticed Ravenfrost. "Ravenfrost?" she greeted quietly and trotted over to her.

The sleek black queen looked up at her with dull, pleading eyes. "Tanglekit got hurt!"

Snowdapple gently shouldered Ravenfrost out of the way to nose the dark tabby bundle. After a few moments, she reported, "I can't find anything wrong with her; she was probably just stunned." Turning her back on Tanglekit, she questioned, "How did this happen, anyway?"

Ravenfrost hung her head. "I was trying to show her my favorite battle technique," she murmured, "where an enemy lunges for you and you dart under their belly, coming out from behind and attacking their haunches." She shot a glance at her daughter before adding, "I tried to do that on Tanglekit but… but I forgot she wouldn't leap high enough for me to move underneath her, so I slammed into her."

Tanglekit heard the soft sound of Snowdapple's tail brushing over her mother in a gesture of comfort. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered. More briskly, she reassured her, "She'll be fine, you'll see. I won't let anything happen to another of your kin—" She suddenly broke off and looked at Ravenfrost anxiously.

The dark-pelted deputy shuffled her paws. The medicine cat quickly redeemed herself. "I didn't mean to…" and she trailed away.

Ravenfrost just shook her head. She nudged Tanglekit. "Get up," she whispered.

Tanglekit's paws ached as she staggered into a sitting position. Snowdapple nudged a finch toward her, and as she ate, she felt new strength and energy flood her body. _I'll be fine,_ she told herself. _Snowdapple won't let anything happen to me._

Feeling better, the young cat got to her paws and stretched. She saw Stormykit's blue eyes peering out from the nursery. She noticed that they were not changing color, in fact, they were deepening, becoming the intelligent blue that Ravenfrost had come to have. Tanglekit, like all kittens, had been born with blue eyes, but they were changing color and turning slightly yellow. She wondered if she would have the piercing gaze that Frostedwind had.

Stormykit ran over to her and licked her sister on the ear. "You're okay!" she exclaimed happily.

"Of course I'm okay, mouse-brain," Tanglekit countered affectionately. "I couldn't leave you, not at just four moons old!" She paused before adding, "I promise you'll never be alone."


	3. Apprentices

Ravenfrost's gentle grooming awoke Tanglekit. "Come on," she complained, getting into a sitting position. "Do you have to lick me even in my sleep?" Then Stormykit caught her eye.

Her sister was pacing excitedly around the nursery, her eyes shining and her carefully groomed pelt shining even more.

Suddenly Tanglekit felt a bolt of lightning shock her awake. Today they would be made apprentices! She wondered who would be her mentor. Maybe Ravenfrost, but leaders rarely apprenticed kits to their own kin, because the mentor wouldn't be hard enough on them. It would be unfair. Tanglekit mostly hoped to get Hawkflight. He was an experienced warrior and temporary deputy!

Then Tanglekit remembered: her mother was the actual deputy, and now she would resume to her duties! Maybe Cherryfrost would be a good mentor for her. She was really nice, Tanglekit recalled. Sunpaw already had Hollythorn as his mentor, so she was out of question. Tanglekit hoped she wouldn't get Bristlethorn. He was a young warrior, though, and hadn't had any apprentices yet. Would she be the lucky cat who called him mentor?

She stood up and stretched and batted Ravenfrost's muzzle away when she tried to continue licking, and began smoothing her fur herself. _I'm almost an apprentice,_ she told herself. _By now, I'm too old to have my mother still grooming for me._

After she had finished, Stormykit came up to Tanglekit's side and compared her pelt to her sister's. "Mine's shinier," she announced.

"Of course it is," Tanglekit retorted. "My pelt is groomed just as well as yours, but it's dark brown tabby so yours _appears_ shinier because of the way the light hits it."

Stormykit was staring at her, and then Tanglekit realized that her mother was staring at her too, with warm approval in her eyes. She wondered if what she had said was really that smart.

"Alright," Ravenfrost purred, standing up. "Off you go for the ceremony. You can't be late!"

Stormykit scampered out of the nursery with Tanglekit on her tail as Ravenfrost called after them, "Don't ruin your fur!"

Outside, it was sunny and Tanglekit stopped to bathe in the sun, letting it enlighten her pelt and the camp around her. It seemed that there was a warm glow everywhere, as Brindlestar's gaze surveyed the camp from the Highledge and Frozenpool, Frostedwind's younger sister, paced excitedly.

The dawn patrol, Hollythorn, Sunpaw, Firtail, and Leopardfang, had already come back and after dropping her fresh-kill on the pile, Hollythorn trotted up the rockfall. She greeted Brindlestar with a swift nod, and quietly reported what she had seen. The light brown leader flicked her tail and summoned the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Stormykit and Tanglekit trotted up to sit at the front of the group as the rest of the Clan assembled. Tanglekit's heart slammed her chest so hard she thought she might fall over. They sat near Cherryfrost and Frozenpool, who had also chosen places near the front. Heads in the crowd turned upward as Brindlestar began.

"Today the Clan will be participating in one of the most important traditions: the making of new apprentices." A few cheers went up before Brindlestar signaled for silence and went on. "Tanglekit and Stormykit have reached their sixth moon and are now ready to be apprenticed." She turned her yellow gaze on the sisters. "Tanglekit, Stormykit, step forward."

Tanglekit's pelt prickled as she made her way to the base of the rockfall so all her Clanmates could see her. All the cats were looking at the kits with happy eyes, and she relaxed.

"Cherryfrost." Brindlestar's words snapped Tanglekit out of her thoughts as she felt anticipation course through her. Would she be given Cherryfrost as a mentor? One of the cats she wanted? She froze as Brindlestar went on: "Stormypaw will be your first apprentice."

Tanglekit felt a flicker of disappointment, but it was swept away when she heard her sister's new name. "Stormypaw," she whispered, the name feeling strange on her tongue as the new apprentice touched noses with her mentor.

"Crowflower," Brindlestar continued. Tanglekit's ears flicked up. Crowflower would be her mentor? Being blunt with herself, Tanglekit admitted that she had never paid much attention to the sharp-tongued she-cat. "You will be mentor to Tanglepaw."

Tanglepaw's uncertainty flew away as she approached her mentor and touched noses with her, seeing warmth in the black warrior's eyes. Stormypaw watched her from a few fox lengths away, her eyes shining.

Cheers rose up from the crowd. "Stormypaw! Tanglepaw! Stormypaw! Tanglepaw!"

Brindlestar waited for the chants to die down before she spoke again. "Because our deputy was nursing her kits, she had to temporarily retire to become a queen. Hawkflight filled her place." The leader's gaze rested on the light brown tabby warrior. "But now her kits are apprenticed, and it is time for Ravenfrost to continue serving as deputy."

Yowls of approval sounded in the clearing as Brindlestar nodded toward Hawkflight. "ThunderClan thanks you for your loyalty and dedication, but now, Hawkflight, you will return to your normal warrior duties."

Tanglepaw's whiskers quivered. She had forgotten that her mother was deputy, and Hawkflight would just be an ordinary cat again! She had gotten used to him being deputy.

The warrior nodded determinedly, and Brindlestar leaped down from the Highledge with a flourish of her tail. The meeting was over.

Crowflower glanced around the camp. "I'll give you your tour of the territory now," she decided. "Cherryfrost!"

The golden tabby she-cat looked up and bounded over, Stormypaw not far behind. "Would you like to come with Tanglepaw and me for the tour of the territory?" she offered.

Cherryfrost looked uncertain, then nodded. "Coming, Stormypaw?" she called as she padded out of camp.

Stormypaw nodded eagerly as she and Tanglepaw followed her mentor, Crowflower taking up the rear.

Cherryfrost asked Crowflower, "We should start with the WindClan border, and work our way around from there, shouldn't we?"

Crowflower looked thoughtful. "Maybe we could teach the apprentices hunting while we tour the territory." Cherryfrost thought for a moment.

"That sounds good," she agreed.

Crowflower nodded, and as the most senior cat in the group, took the lead. "Let's go!"

Tanglepaw stepped away from the thorn tunnel and gazed at the forest around her. The floor was dappled with moss and leaves, and the smell of sweet sap and prey flooded her nose.

As they continued, the trees started to get sparser. Tanglepaw heard running water ahead. "What's that?" she asked.

Cherryfrost answered her. "It's the stream that marks the WindClan border," she explained.

Soon they were at the border. Tanglepaw stared out across the enemy territory. Rolling hills swamped her vision, and she could see nothing but green meadows until they faded into the distance.

"Smell the air," Crowflower instructed, bringing her back to the forest. "What can you scent?"

Stormypaw lifted her muzzle and sniffed loudly. "Prey," she announced.

Cherryfrost nodded. "What kind of prey?"

"Rabbits!" Tanglepaw exclaimed. She had never smelled rabbit, but she heard the stories of how WindClan cats were the fastest, and the smallest, and they ran to catch rabbits on the moor.

Crowflower looked impressed, and a shiver of pride ran through Tanglepaw. "We're nearing the WindClan border," the black-pelted she-cat announced. "Smell the air—you must know your enemies' scents."

While Stormypaw gave a loud sniff, Tanglepaw opened her jaws to draw in the scent. It smelled fresh, like cold, crisp air and rabbits running freely through grassy moors. She fixed the scent in her mind to remember it.

Cherryfrost beckoned them with her tail. "Look," she whispered. Tanglepaw strained her eyes toward a rustling clump of ferns. She scented prey; then a small tawny brown vole poked its head out. Crowflower and Cherryfrost exchanged a glance and a nod, and then Stormypaw's mentor dropped into a crouch.

Cherryfrost slowly drew herself closer. Tanglepaw studied her every move. She kept her white belly close to the ground, but not so close that her fur would brush against the leaves. Her tail was the same.

Suddenly Cherryfrost leaped forward and neatly killed the vole. "When you're going to hunt more prey after one catch," she mumbled around it, "you bury it under some leaves for collecting later." She demonstrated by setting the vole down by the roots of a small maple tree and pushing scraps of moss and leaves over it.

Crowflower signaled with her tail for the patrol to move on, and Tanglepaw trotted eagerly at its side into the forest.

 **Kinda short, kinda boring, I know... I promise the next chapter will be better! We'll have new kitties!**


	4. Moss Collecting, Stick Getting

Tanglepaw felt warmth spread through her as she padded back into camp with her Clanmates. Cherryfrost set her vole down in front of Stormypaw. "Take this and something else to the elder's den," she instructed. "One of the most important rules of the warrior code is that kits and elders must be fed first." Stormypaw's eyes shone as she scooped up the vole and darted to the fresh-kill pile.

"And as for you…" Crowflower's voice sounded behind Tanglepaw. "You can take something from the fresh-kill pile to the nursery, and then get a bit of prey for yourself afterward."

Tanglepaw narrowed her eyes. Crowflower had put slight emphasis on the word "afterward." Did Crowflower not trust her to feed her Clan? Nodding, Tanglepaw picked up a mouse and a blackbird and marched to the nursery, head high to show her mentor what a great apprentice she was. She pushed her way through the brambles and was surprised to see that Ravenfrost wasn't there. Then she reminded herself that Ravenfrost had become deputy again.

Tigerwing's blue eyes shone in the dim den. "Are those for me?" she asked quietly, shuffling in her nest. Her belly was swollen with kits. Tanglepaw nodded. "You take the blackbird," the black queen told her. "Thank you."

Tanglepaw nodded again and backed out of the nursery, holding the blackbird by a wing. She had brought two pieces of prey because of her being used to having two queens in the nursery. Tanglepaw ate the blackbird in neat, rapid bites and headed to the apprentices' den. Stormypaw was already there, sitting in her nest washing. Sunpaw was asleep already. Tanglepaw chose the nest between Stormypaw and Sunpaw and sat down.

"I never knew our territory was so big," her sister murmured. Tanglepaw twitched an ear in agreement.

"I'm glad we live in ThunderClan, and not some other Clan," Stormypaw continued as she and Tanglepaw settled down to sleep. Tanglepaw closed her eyes and thought of what exciting things they would do tomorrow. A huge yawn suddenly stretched her jaws wide before sleep overtook her.

. . .

The next morning Tanglepaw woke up to find Stormypaw gone. Her sister's stale scent lingered in her nest, and it was sharp with excitement. As Tanglepaw stretched, she noticed that Sunpaw was still fast asleep in his mossy nest. _Great StarClan, has he been sleeping since dusk last night?_ Tanglepaw shook out her pelt and trotted outside to meet Crowflower.

Her mentor was sitting in the clearing talking with Robingaze. She turned, standing up as if she were about to fetch Tanglepaw from the apprentice's den, when she saw her coming out. "Hi," the apprentice meowed.

"Hi, Tanglepaw," Crowflower replied. She waved her tail in farewell to Robingaze. The warrior nodded and went over to the cluster of cats in front of Ravenfrost.

"What are we doing today?" Tanglepaw asked eagerly. Crowflower said nothing, just beckoned with her tail for Tanglepaw to follow as she padded out of camp.

They walked through the forest until they emerged into the clearing where the Sky Oak was. "This place is great for gathering moss," Crowflower explained, flicking her head toward the mossy roots of the ancient oak tree.

Tanglepaw's heart sunk. They would be collecting moss? She wanted to start her battle training, or hunt for her Clan! She hadn't made her first catch yet. _I bet Stormypaw's fighting today,_ she thought, _or catching hundreds of things with Cherryfrost!_ Sighing, Tanglepaw knew better than to argue, and padded down the slope to the Sky Oak. Crowflower must have noticed her disappointed look, because she added, "It's an honor to serve your Clan as an apprentice, and to protect those who can't protect themselves." She seemed like she was waiting for a reply.

"Moss doesn't save lives!" Tanglepaw protested as an answer.

"No, but it gives them comfortable lives and serves the elders, queens, and medicine cats after all they have done to serve us," Crowflower pointed out. Tanglepaw opened her jaws to reply when her mentor went on: "Part of being a warrior is being an apprentice. Part of being an apprentice is to care for the elders."

Tanglepaw hesitated, and then nodded. She didn't fully understand what Crowflower was saying, but she got half of it. She would just go along with it.

Jealousy sparked in her throat as she thought of the exciting things Stormypaw would be doing today, but she shoved it down. _I am serving my Clan,_ she told herself. _Right now, my duty is to get new bedding for the elders._ Her ears flicked up as she began to get more optimistic. _I'll show Crowflower she can count on me!_

"Okay," she meowed determinedly. "So we collect the moss now?"

Crowflower purred. "Not just yet… There's a special way of doing it." Tanglepaw tilted her head. "Look at this…"

Crowflower padded up to the roots blanketed in moss. "Unsheathe your claws," she began, and demonstrated. "Slice off the moss as close to the bark as you can, and in the largest piece that you can." The night-black warrior neatly removed a chunk of moss from the oak and set it aside. She flicked her head at another moss clump. "Now you try," she invited.

Tanglepaw's ear twitched as she unsheathed her claws and placed them sideways on the bark. Suddenly her mind flew to Stormypaw, and she imagined Cherryfrost urging her on as she practiced a swipe over and over. Crowflower's whiskers twitched encouragingly as Tanglepaw gathered herself again and drew her claws down swiftly. The moss jumped off the tree as if it had a mind of its own and landed next to the apprentice. "Good." Crowflower nodded.

Her mentor prodded the moss with a claw. "You might want to try not to scrape the bark off the tree as well next time." Tanglepaw's ears flicked nervously, but Crowflower's tone was light. She quickly picked out the scraps of bark and threw them away. "Good job," Crowflower praised her.

"Now…" she continued, "you squeeze any moisture that might be inside out of the moss." Crowflower showed her by steadying the moss against the ground with her paws and pressing down on it hard with her muzzle. A few drops of liquid oozed out and dripped onto Tanglepaw's paws. She jumped back, startled, then padded back, her pelt prickling and suddenly she felt hot.

She smoothed her ruffled fur. "I'm no RiverClan cat," she muttered.

Crowflower purred with amusement. "Let's get this job done and to the elders before it starts to rain!" she exclaimed. Tanglepaw's whiskers quivered but she said nothing as she went back to slicing moss off the tree and pressing out the water. The tabby apprentice had even sliced off a chunk so big that Crowflower had had to break it in two because it was double the size of a nest.

"You do get really good moss around here," Crowflower stated when they had finished. "Now, to carry it back you gather the moss under your chin…"

Crowflower tucked a clump of moss between her chin and her chest, and then gathered more in her jaws. Tanglepaw was impressed with this technique.

She stuffed a wad of moss under her chin and took a chunk in her mouth and set off at a stiff, lurching walk with the large amount of bedding. Once they returned to camp, the two she-cats waddled into the elders' den to deliver the moss. Tanglepaw spat out the moss when they arrived. "Hello," she greeted.

She was surprised to see two more shapes outlined against the wall of the den than there were supposed to be. Suddenly one shape whirled around. The cat's blue eyes sparked.

"Tanglepaw! You're collecting moss too?" Stormypaw exclaimed.

Tanglepaw's gaze lit. She wasn't stuck with caring for the elders alone! "Yeah," she replied, shuffling her paws.

"Hello." Duskwing's quiet mew broke into the littermates' conversation.

"Hi," both the apprentices said at the same time.

"Is that for us?" Honeysap asked, getting up and stretching stiffly. Tanglepaw's eyes clouded. She was still young; she should have served her Clan as a medicine cat for many more moons before she retired. But the fur torn off on her awkwardly angled leg would forever be a reminder that she could never do that again.

Duskwing got up too; Tanglepaw noticed that she was much older than Honeysap but even with her age, more agile. "Ready?" Cherryfrost asked Stormypaw and Tanglepaw. Tanglepaw nodded.

All four cats went about disposing of the old bedding and arranging nice new nests for the two elders. Honeysap dipped her head. "Thank you," she meowed, a tinge of embarrassment in her voice. Tanglepaw guessed she wasn't used to being served like this, getting all the respect and elder would get before it was her time.

Duskwing just settled in her new nest. "Same for me," she meowed. "Now would one of you apprentices go fetch us something from the fresh-kill pile?"

Both the apprentices shouted, "Okay!" and raced off to the prey store. Tanglepaw took a plump sparrow in her jaws while Stormypaw took a mouse and they trotted back into the elders' den. Tanglepaw entered first and quickly shuffled over to Honeysap. She liked the golden she-cat; she was nice, and a little like her. "Here you go," she mumbled around the prey and set it down in front of Honeysap.

"Thanks," she purred, and settled down to eat.

Tanglepaw turned to leave when a yowl sounded from outside. "Snowdapple!"

The apprentice's ears flicked up as she burst out of the den. Was some cat hurt?

It was Leopardfang who had called for the medicine cat. Snowdapple popped her head out from the medicine den and raced over to him, her pelt bristling. "What is it?"

"Come quickly," he hissed urgently. "Tigerwing is kitting."

Snowdapple nodded, her face hardening, and slipped into her den to gather supplies while Leopardfang pushed through the nursery entrance. Crowflower, Cherryfrost, and Stormypaw pounded out of the den. "What's happening?" Cherryfrost demanded.

"Tigerwing's having her kits," Tanglepaw told her.

After a few moments the camp was bustling with action, cats pacing nervously, their pelts prickling. A shiver ran down Tanglepaw's spine. Was kitting this much to worry about?

Just then a hunting patrol entered the camp. Pineleap was in the lead, with Bristlethorn and Robingaze. Pineleap glanced around and saw all the cats acting strangely. He set down his squirrel on the fresh-kill pile and asked, "What's going on?"

"Tigerwing is kitting." Brindlestar's voice sounded behind Tanglepaw. She glanced back and saw Leopardfang's head poke out of the nursery, his whiskers shaking nervously, then withdrew again. Pineleap nodded, looking at his tense Clanmates. "I see."

He paused, and then turned his leaf-green gaze on Brindlestar. "Also…" he began, "there's something I wanted to tell you. It seems dangerous."

Brindlestar's ears pricked and she tilted her head questioningly. "Somewhere between the abandoned Twoleg nest and the ShadowClan border there was rogue scent and blood."

Brindlestar's gaze darkened. "Hopefully it was just some cat passing by who happened to make a sloppy catch on our territory." She stared at the massive black warrior. "I don't want to think of the worst that could have happened."

"Well…" Pineleap shuffled his paws uncomfortably. "I'm afraid the worst did happen." Brindlestar's eyes widened as he went on: "There was kit scent there, and milk scent on it. Some rogue must have killed a kit. Not a ThunderClan kit," he added quickly as Brindlestar's pelt began to bush up.

"Are you kidding me, Pineleap?" Ravenfrost demanded as she bounded up, her tail lashing. "This cat has no honor!"

"He's not kidding." Bristlethorn's deep meow sounded as he pushed his way into the small group of cats. "There really was kit blood." Tanglepaw snorted. A kit had been murdered, and Bristlethorn still strutted around the forest like he was the superior cat there. He didn't seem to care at all about the kit who had died except for his words, which were cold as ice.

Tanglepaw's eyes widened as she realized what she was thinking. Of course Bristlethorn cared! He was her Clanmate! He would never let this kind of crime go unpunished. He would never murder a kit. _But he's still a pain in the tail,_ Tanglepaw thought to herself.

"Come on," Crowflower said to her, beckoning with her tail. "There's nothing more we can do here." Glancing around, she added, "Let's get a stick."

Tanglepaw stared at her. "Why?" she asked.

"When I was kitting, Honeysap and Snowdapple brought me a big, sturdy stick that I could bite down on when the pains came. It helped a lot, though of course it broke in the end." Tanglepaw still looked confused, and Crowflower shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Let's just get a stick. One that a cat can bite down on hard and it won't break."

Tanglepaw nodded. She liked Tigerwing. The black-and-silver queen had always cared for her and Stormypaw when Ravenfrost wasn't able to for one reason or another. Now was the time she would pay her back. Tanglepaw bunched her muscles and sprang out of the camp, racing through the forest to find the best stick possible.

She skidded to a stop beside two broken sticks. Tanglepaw tested them in her mouth. Both of them broke. Growling under her breath, she tensed to move on, when she noticed a sturdy-looking branch above her. She contemplated the situation for a heartbeat before clawing her way up the trunk and scrambling onto a thick branch. She carefully edged farther onto the branch; Crowflower hadn't taught her tree-climbing yet. She shuffled a bit farther then grabbed the branch she had seen before in her jaws.

The apprentice tugged backward and felt her teeth strain on the bark. She stopped, sighed, and tried again, but couldn't pry off the branch.

 _Great job, Tanglepaw,_ she thought sarcastically to herself. _Tigerwing's probably done kitting by now, and you haven't even found a stick._ A shudder ran through her. _Or dead,_ a tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind, but she stuffed it down. "No," she said out loud. "I will _not_ let Tigerwing get hurt _at all,"_ she growled forcefully.

Leaping over a ridge, she almost passed a flimsy stick when she suddenly stopped and tripped over herself, rolling down a small hill and hitting her flank on a maple tree. "Fox dung," she muttered, and charged back to the place where she had seen the stick. Her heart sank. It looked weak.

Glancing around, the tabby she-cat didn't see any more sticks in sight, so she decided to test the weak one. She grabbed it in her jaws and bit down hard, waiting for it to crack. But it didn't. She pulled it out of her mouth and looked at it. There was just a tiny dent in the bark where her teeth had met.

Confused, Tanglepaw put the stick in her mouth again and was about to clamp her jaws over it when she realized how much time she was wasting. _Mouse-brain!_ She dashed back to the camp with the stick, ignoring Crowflower's irritated call, and burst into the nursery. "Is everythi—" She broke off. "What…?"

Tigerwing was purring, looking down affectionately at two kits. One was a beautiful white she-cat with sparse red dapples. The other was a dark brown tom with lighter ears, tail-tip, and belly. He would make a powerful warrior, Tanglepaw noted, with his burly outline and broad, sturdy shoulders.

"What are their names?" Tanglepaw whispered, dropping the stick absently and forgetting to blame herself for not getting there in time.

"Lilykit for the she-cat," Tigerwing meowed softly, touching her tail-tip to the first one, "and Oakkit for the tom." Her eyes were filled with love, and it was easy to forget the pain that she had just been through.

"They're perfect," Leopardfang, the father, purred, gently swiping his tongue over his mate's ear.

Not knowing what else to say or do, Tanglepaw nodded and quietly backed out of the den. Snowdapple had already left.

Crowflower met her as soon as she stepped outside, her tail-tip twitching expectantly. "You shouldn't have left me in the forest," she snapped, though amusement tinged her voice and her eyes.

"Well, I found a stick," Tanglepaw retorted lightly.

"Too late!" Crowflower joked.

Tanglepaw stopped. _Too late._ The words kept repeating in her mind, over and over. _Too late._ Her head spun with the echo of those wretched words. _Too late._ She swayed on her paws and nearly tripped over herself. _Too late. Too late. Too late…_

Suddenly a shoulder was at her side, steadying her. "Tanglepaw?" Crowflower's astonished mew sounded blurry next to her. "Tanglepaw what—" She broke off. "Oh," she meowed quietly, and moved away from her apprentice once she was okay again.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean… You weren't…"

 _Too late._ Tanglepaw finished the warrior's sentence for her in her mind.

"It's not your fault."

Tanglepaw rounded on her. "How is it not my fault? If I'd gotten here sooner… If I had…"

"If you'd gotten here sooner, then what?" Crowflower challenged her. "Then Tigerwing would be happy and safe with her mate and her kits after a successful birth, like she is now?"

Tanglepaw shuffled her paws. "I guess…"

Crowflower didn't let her finish. "You're working yourself up over nothing. You did all you could. Did I find a stick before you? Did I even find a stick at all? You did all you could do, and that is all your Clan asks of you." Crowflower's stare bore into Tanglepaw as she regained her senses.

"Okay," she replied. Not knowing what else to do, she padded up to the fresh-kill pile to pick out some prey.

"Not before you feed the elders!" Crowflower called to her as she prepared to pick up a vole. "And I think Tigerwing would appreciate some food after her kitting."

Tanglepaw nodded and chose the vole for Tigerwing and a rabbit for the elders. After delivering both, she settled down with a plump mouse. Normally she would leave a catch like that for her Clanmates, but Tanglepaw felt she needed it now. When she had finished, Tanglepaw swiped her tongue over her muzzle and trotted off to her den.

 **Do you like the kitties? Which one is better? I have something special planned for Oakkit in the future... muahahah... But you can't find out till I write more of the story! So review, and review, and REVIEW!**


	5. First Battle Session

**Alright, I'm back! I was on vacation so I couldn't update but here's the next chapter! It's kinda boring... You know, nothing really happens... But next chapter is a climax! I'll be really glad to get even one more review.**

"Tanglepaw, come _on,_ unless you want to miss training!"

Tanglepaw's eyes flicked open as she heard Sunpaw's words. He was standing over her nest, his yellow-amber eyes gazing down at her. "Get up."

Tanglepaw heaved herself to her paws. "Alright, I'm up," she muttered, stretching.

"Let's go!" Sunpaw shouted, and bounded out of the den.

Suddenly Tanglepaw didn't feel so tired anymore. Sunpaw was a more experienced apprentice than her and Stormypaw; they wouldn't be doing hunting practice today. The she-cat's fur bushed up with excitement. Maybe they were starting their first day of battle training!

She leaped out of the den to meet Crowflower, Hollythorn, Sunpaw, Stormypaw, and Cherryfrost. "We're having a group battle session," Hollythorn explained when Tanglepaw reached them.

"Do we have all our cats? Then let's go." Crowflower led the way out to the mossy training hollow.

When they emerged into the clearing, Crowflower and Hollythorn were up first to demonstrate the move. "Watch carefully, Sunpaw. You're next," Hollythorn told her apprentice as she padded up to meet Crowflower in the center.

The two warriors circled each other, evaluating their enemy before Crowflower struck. She lashed a paw out at Hollythorn before darting back out of range. Hollythorn sprang and latched onto Crowflower's chest with all four paws and the two cats rolled together, but somehow Crowflower managed to come out on top. She had one paw planted on the brown-and-white warrior's chest and the other raised for another blow if needed.

Crowflower hopped off her Clanmate and Hollythorn got to her paws, shaking scraps of moss off her pelt.

"What did I do wrong?" Hollythorn asked the three apprentices. All of them seemed puzzled.

Stormypaw twitched an ear. "You leaped too soon, before you were ready…?" she guessed.

"Oh! Crowflower's bigger and older than you." Sunpaw's eyes gleamed.

"Not exactly," Hollythorn answered slowly. "If you're all stumped, then I'll tell you." The apprentices pricked their ears.

"It's hard to say I did anything wrong… But I didn't expect my enemy to do what she did." She shot a glance at Crowflower before continuing: "I used a battle tactic that would normally cannon an enemy off balance, but Crowflower was ready." Hollythorn flicked her tail at the black she-cat for her to go on.

Crowflower stepped forward. "I saw the tensing of her muscles before she leaped, so I knew she would spring at me. What would you do to prepare yourself for the attack?"

Stormypaw shouted, "Hold my ground!"

Sunpaw thought for a moment, then replied, "I'd rear up and meet her with both my front paws, claws unsheathed."

Crowflower gave Sunpaw an approving nod. "That's an excellent idea, but what if Hollythorn is bigger and stronger than you?"  
Tanglepaw jumped to her paws. "Then I'd do what you did!"

Crowflower gave a snort of amusement, her eyes glimmering. "That would be helpful," she purred, "if you knew what I did!"

Sunpaw tilted his head. "Then show us."

"Okay," Crowflower replied.

"What most cats would do is they'd brace themselves and try to prepare for the attack." She glanced up at Cherryfrost. "But they're not preparing the right way."

Crowflower turned back to the apprentices. "See, if Hollythorn is bigger and stronger than me, it's no use trying to stand up against her. But as soon as she makes contact with me…" Hollythorn leaped slowly at Crowflower to demonstrate the move to the apprentices, "I let myself go limp. I become a dead weight, one that now _she_ has to carry."

Crowflower fell back as soon as Hollythorn's paws touched her pelt and the dusty brown warrior had to carry her weight as she tumbled across the hollow. "Then, I time my struggle…" Crowflower gasped, "…so that I come out on top!" Now Crowflower had stopped the rolling and was pinning Hollythorn down into the moss. She got off her and both mentors padded up to the group of young cats. "Now you try."

Cherryfrost's gaze surveyed the threesome. "Sunpaw and Stormypaw." Tanglepaw's belly sparked with excitement as she watched her sister face up to Sunpaw.

"Stormypaw, you leap," Crowflower instructed. "Sunpaw, you try the move that I did." The tom's yellow eyes sparkled with happiness as he crouched. "Not so low," the black she-cat muttered under her breath. Sunpaw straightened a little.

Stormypaw's tail lashed once as she leaped at him. Sunpaw jerked as if he was about to dart forward, then at the last heartbeat threw himself onto his back and clutched Stormypaw with all four paws. They rolled together and then Sunpaw twisted, but somehow Stormypaw ended up on top. Both cats looked genuinely confused.

Sunpaw leaped to his paws. "But I let go of her when I was on top!" he exclaimed, staring in alarm at his mentor.

"Calm down, Sunpaw," Hollythorn mewed. "You just timed it wrong, that's all."

Sunpaw opened his jaws but Hollythorn flicked her tail to silence him. "If you let go of Stormypaw when you're on top, it takes you about… let's say half a heartbeat to get off and pin her?" Sunpaw nodded slowly. "Well, in that half heartbeat, you will have rolled another half circle, so Stormypaw will be on top by the time you let go. So you let go while you're on the bottom and you'll roll off to come out on top."

Sunpaw nodded again and the two apprentices practiced the battle move once more. This time both apprentices got it perfectly.

Crowflower stepped in. "Well done, both of you," she meowed. "Now Tanglepaw will leap and Stormypaw will roll."

Tanglepaw's heart pounded in her chest as she padded up to her littermate. Stormypaw's whiskers quivered as Tanglepaw bunched her muscles and leaped. She slammed Stormypaw straight in the chest and the smoky gray she-cat's blue eyes widened in surprise as she was knocked over. Tanglepaw waited for her to start the roll, but her sister remained down and Tanglepaw was now pinning her. She got off and Crowflower asked, "What was that all about?"

Stormypaw looked dazed, and then she shook out her pelt. "Sorry!" she gasped. "I wasn't ready."

Crowflower drew a breath to speak but Cherryfrost beat her to it. "It's fine. Be ready this time, and I'm sure you'll get it right."

Stormypaw gave a determined lash of her tail as she looked up at Tanglepaw again, preparing for her to leap. Tanglepaw sprang at her and again her forepaws slammed squarely into her chest. But this time Stormypaw latched onto Tanglepaw with all four paws and she stumbled under her weight.

Suddenly it became too much to bear and her paws flew out from under her. The pair went rolling across the hollow until Stormypaw clumsily scrabbled to the top, nearly missing her turn, her paws pressing Tanglepaw's chest hard into the earth. "Very good!" Cherryfrost purred.

Hollythorn nodded her approval; Sunpaw's eyes were shining. Tanglepaw's ear twitched. He was looking straight at Stormypaw.

"Okay, now Tanglepaw and Sunpaw will try the move." Crowflower's voice snapped the tabby apprentice back to training. Her green eyes flashed as she evaluated Sunpaw.

"This time Sunpaw will leap," Hollythorn decided from the back of the clearing.

Tanglepaw stiffened, and then forced herself to relax. She would have to be light on her paws and hang onto Sunpaw, making him carry her weight and stumble like she first did.

Sunpaw leaped, catching Tanglepaw off guard, and she reared up to meet him. Then she remembered the move in a flash. She dug her claws into his back fur and they rolled. Tanglepaw jerked, about to spring off and pin Sunpaw, when she realized she wasn't supposed to leap when she was on top. Waiting for the next half-turn, she twisted and had Sunpaw under her.

Sunpaw kicked her off with powerful hind paws. Tanglepaw scrambled to her paws, surprised by his strength.

Cherryfrost padded into the clearing. "That wasn't exactly how it works," she meowed to Sunpaw, "but good job." The golden tabby's whiskers twitched.

They ran the move a few more times, and then Crowflower called for a stop. "You three can catch some prey, feed who you need to feed, and eat. You've done good work today."

Tanglepaw returned to camp with a vole and a sparrow. She dashed to the elders' den with Stormypaw on her tail. Stormypaw gave a robin to Duskwing and Tanglepaw set her vole down in front of Honeysap. "Thanks," she purred, and the apprentices backed out of the den.

Tanglepaw took the sparrow and crouched on the side of the clearing to eat it. Stormypaw joined her with a squirrel.

Stormypaw opened her jaws to say something when Sunpaw appeared from the nursery. He grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and trotted over to the littermates. He meowed a greeting, settling down next to Stormypaw.

"Hi," the she-cats replied.

"That was awesome training today!" Sunpaw exclaimed, and then, his whiskers quivering, flicked his gaze to Tanglepaw. "Both of you."

Stormypaw purred, and Tanglepaw could see her eyes shining with amusement. _At what, I'll never know,_ she thought.

"Thanks," she told Sunpaw. She took another bite of her prey when Sunpaw spoke again.

"I couldn't believe I got it right the second time! I expected, well, well…" He glanced down at his mouse, then back up again. "I didn't really expect to get it at all." His ear flicked at the other two apprentices. "You two did really well, for your first time battle training! That was a tricky move."

Tanglepaw said nothing, just continued eating her sparrow.

"Thank you," Stormypaw purred. "Uh, you did well too."

Tanglepaw gazed up at Ravenfrost, who was sitting in the grass on the other side of the clearing. Her eyes sparkled as she watched Sunpaw and Stormypaw. She cast a meaningful look toward Tanglepaw, and she understood. _Sunpaw likes Stormypaw?_ She shot a glance toward her littermate and the golden patched apprentice. _Does she like him…?_ she wondered.

 **Okay, constructive criticism, compliments... flames? xD Some kind of review would be helpful. Next chapter will NOT be boring. I promise.**


	6. Haunted Amber

**Responses to reviews:**

 **ThePaintedKittyKat: Thank you so much! I always look forward to your reviews and PMs.**

[One moon later] **A/N: I know, I timeskipped, but I needed to for the story!**

Tanglepaw was out hunting with Crowflower. Joy flooded from her; she had completed her hunting skills and knew quite a lot of battle moves, though her mentor had told her she still had a lot to learn. Her ear twitched as she smelled a vole. She slowly crept up on it, Crowflower watching her from behind a clump of bracken.

As she was preparing to leap, Tanglepaw smelled another scent drifting through the woods: blood. The vole must have smelled it too, for it dashed under the roots of a maple tree, nose twitching. "Mouse dung!" Tanglepaw muttered, though she was too worried about the blood scent to care much about the lost prey.

"Stay here," Crowflower murmured to her through clenched teeth. Tanglepaw froze, her paws implanted in the ground, the blood roaring in her ears. She smelled cat scent too. And _ThunderClan_ scent.

Suddenly Tanglepaw heard Crowflower gasp and a savage snarl. She raced through the undergrowth to her mentor to see a gray she-cat staring at Crowflower. Her pelt was matted and her amber eyes looked haunted; her jaws were dripping with blood. To her relief, Crowflower was okay. But then she saw what had made Crowflower gasp.

"No," she whispered, staring at a dull golden huddle of fur on the ground. "Honeysap…"

The rogue she-cat took this chance to dash away, and there was no trace left of her.

"Honeysap?" Crowflower meowed, taking a pace toward her fallen Clanmate. But the elder's blue eyes were glazed over, blood still pulsing from her neck wound. "Help me carry her back to camp," the black she-cat murmured to her apprentice. Tanglepaw nodded and they slowly trudged back to the hollow with their burden.

…

"No!" Snowdapple crashed out of the medicine den and threw herself on Honeysap. "No! Honeysap…"

Crowflower's green eyes glinted with sympathy as Brindlestar padded up. Now that the whole Clan was gathered around, she announced: "Those closest to Honeysap will sit vigil for her tonight under the watch of Silverpelt. She was a valuable cat, and should have served her Clan for many moons to come. All ThunderClan will mourn her."

Brindlestar turned to Crowflower and Tanglepaw. "How did this happen?" she asked, her pale green eyes serious.

"We found a dark gray she-cat rogue standing over her body. Her muzzle was stained with her blood."

"She smelled vile," Tanglepaw added. "And her fur was really messed up… her eyes looked…" a shudder passed down her spine, "haunted."

Crowflower nodded to confirm what the apprentice said. As Brindlestar opened her mouth to ask a question, Crowflower answered: "I've not the faintest idea why the rogue did it, but whatever the reason, she must be punished."

Brindlestar looked doubtful. "Well, she could have had a better reason—"

A voice interrupted her. "Honeysap would never do anything to anger anyone so badly they would kill her. It must have been the rogue's fault." Tanglepaw turned to see Bristlethorn standing behind them, his eyes narrowed and his fur bristling.

Tanglepaw blinked. This seemed like an aggressive Bristlethorn…

She thought back to the time when she had accused him of killing a kit in her mind, and then shoved the thought back. Suddenly an idea sparked in her mind. "Hey! I know!" she shouted.

Bristlethorn looked disgusted, but Tanglepaw ignored him and began to explain to the interested leader and warrior. "Remember that kit that mysteriously died? Maybe the gray she-cat killed the kit too!"

Murmurs rose up between the cats; even Bristlethorn was looking thoughtful. "Maybe," he grunted. "But I think we should take her prisoner and teach her a lesson!" he declared, looking hopefully at Brindlestar.

The leader considered for a moment, and then nodded. "We can't have cats disappearing from mysterious murders. Bristlethorn, you are a young warrior, but I trust you to lead the capture patrol." The mottled brown tom's eyes gleamed. "Now," Brindlestar meowed, turning to Crowflower, "where was this rogue seen?"

"We found her near the ShadowClan border, Brindlestar. I think she lives in the abandoned Twoleg nest."

The pale tabby nodded. "Bristlethorn, your patrol leaves at dawn tomorrow. And I think you should take Tanglepaw," she added, shooting a warm glance toward the apprentice. Surprised, Tanglepaw felt determination light her heart.

"Alright," Bristlethorn responded gruffly, and turned away to gather more cats. He then returned to Tanglepaw and said: "Frostedwind, Pineleap, and Dawnsplash are coming with you and me tomorrow." Tanglepaw nodded excitedly. Bristlethorn just snorted and padded back to the warriors' den.

"Why does he have to be so grumpy all the time?" she muttered, glancing at the setting sun. She decided to go to sleep as well. Tomorrow would be a big day.

…

A gray-and-white paw prodded Tanglepaw awake. "Get up," Frostedwind whispered. "It's time to go."

Tanglepaw sleepily blinked the sleep from her eyes, and then she remembered the mission she was chosen to go on. She scrambled out of her nest and went to join Bristlethorn's patrol in the clearing.

"Do we have all our cats?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "Then let's go."

The cats silently filed out of the camp and arrived at the abandoned Twoleg nest. Bristlethorn stepped forward and scented the air. "She's in there," he whispered, and beckoned with his tail for the patrol to follow him in. "Tanglepaw, Frostedwind, guard the entrance."

Bristlethorn, Dawnsplash, and Pineleap slunk into the nest and Tanglepaw saw a gray heap sleeping in a nest of bracken. The rogue's ear twitched, and she lifted her head. "What?" she mumbled, and then her eyes widened as she noticed strangers in her den.

The she-cat leaped to her paws, fur bristling. "What are you doing here?" she squeaked, then swallowed and gained control of herself. "What are you doing here?" she repeated more steadily.

Tanglepaw stiffened. A smear of blood stained the gray cat's muzzle. This had to be Honeysap's murderer! She felt a growl rising in her throat.

Bristlethorn whispered something to Pineleap; the black warrior nodded and closed in behind the rogue. She glanced around at the ThunderClan cats and unsheathed her claws. "What are you—" She was cut off by Bristlethorn leaping at her and pinning her down, planting his paws on her chest.

"Give up, kitty," he snarled, indicating the whole patrol he had with his tail.

"Never!" the she-cat spat, and kicked him off with her hind paws. She twisted around and managed to scrabble onto her belly, but not until Bristlethorn was on top of her again.

"I won't—" The rogue was interrupted by Bristlethorn pressing down on her head, shoving her face into the earth.

"You're coming with us," he growled close to her ear, and heaved her up. She lashed out at him, hissing, but Pineleap and Dawnsplash held her back.

"Come on," Frostedwind told her coldly. "You can't beat us."

Tanglepaw padded at the side of the group as they brought the rogue back to camp. She wondered if—

She snapped out of her thoughts by the rogue kicking off with her hind legs and leaping out of the circle. Pineleap barely managed to grab her by the tail and haul her back. He pinned her down, pressing all his weight onto her. "Don't struggle, don't argue, don't resist, don't do _anything,"_ he snarled, and carefully let her up and back into the middle of the patrol.

Bristlethorn gave a curt nod to Pineleap; his eyes were gleaming with mistrust and hatred as he glared at the she-cat. "For your own sake," he added, and led the patrol onward toward the camp.

The rogue didn't give them any more trouble all the way back to the camp. She padded on in stony silence, her limbs stiff as she glared at the cats surrounding her. _Sorry,_ Tanglepaw thought, _but you murdered a kit and our Clanmate. This is a fair punishment. Maybe not fair enough._

By now it was nearly sunhigh, and Brindlestar and Ravenfrost were waiting for the patrol to return. Leopardfang was sitting guard outside the nursery, his eyes glittering with hostility as he saw the kit-murderer.

Bristlethorn stepped out of the way, opening up the circle in front, and the rest of the patrol roughly threw her down into the middle of the clearing. All the ThunderClan cats' eyes were trained on her; the news had spread through the camp like wildfire.

Brindlestar bounded onto the Highledge. There was no need to call the Clan together, for every cat was already gathered in the clearing.

"This cat has murdered our Clanmate, and she is here to be punished. For now, we will hold her prisoner, unless she proves otherwise."

Meows of agreement sounded through the crowd, though Leopardfang looked doubtful. "I don't want to allow her any privileges. I'm afraid of what she might do to the cats here," he called out. Again, meows of approval rippled throughout the hollow.

Brindlestar nodded. "Don't worry; we won't." Her tone darkened as she shot a glance toward the prisoner.

Tanglepaw tentatively stood up. "The rogue's jaws were dripping with blood when I saw her with Honeysap," she told her leader quietly. "This morning I noticed a drop of blood on her muzzle."

Gasps were heard throughout the Clan as they noticed the blood too. The she-cat hissed and wet a paw to wash it off.

Brindlestar flicked her tail. "This cat must have been Honeysap's killer," she declared, "and for that she will be punished."

Brindlestar's gaze turned to the rogue. "From now on, you will obey _any_ order any cat in ThunderClan gives you. _Anyone._ Even a kit."

The she-cat's ears flattened as her jaw dropped in horror. "Why, you—" Yet again she was cut off by Dawnsplash bowling her over.

"Be quiet, rogue." She cuffed her over the ear and got off.

"But she may not leave the camp unguarded," the leader quickly added. "And by guarded, I mean there must be at least one warrior." She glanced quickly around the Clan. "Dismissed."

Ravenfrost approached Hawkflight. "You will take the first guard," she told him. He nodded and stationed himself beside the rogue. She hissed and dug her claws into the earth. Hawkflight did nothing, just twitched an ear dismissively. Ravenfrost nodded and padded into Brindlestar's den to meet the leader.

Tanglepaw glanced uncertainly at Hawkflight, not sure what to do. "Get her some prey," he ordered, and Tanglepaw scampered to the fresh-kill pile. She sorted through the prey and found a relatively small chaffinch. She didn't know how her Clanmates would react if she gave the prisoner too plump of a piece of prey.

The she-cat stared at it untrustingly. Hawkflight rolled his eyes. "We're not going to poison you," he snapped.

The rogue spat at him, then took a tentative bite. She then proceeded to devour the prey. She swiped her tongue around her muzzle and began to wash the blood stain off her mouth from earlier.

Hawkflight studied her for a moment. "What's your name?" he asked, his tone even.

The gray she-cat snorted and turned away. "Why should I tell you?"

Hawkflight didn't answer her question; instead he bowled her over and pinned her to the ground. "I said, _what's your name?"_ he snarled forcefully close to her ear.

"Squirrel," the rogue growled reluctantly, and the warrior got off.

"Good," he meowed. Squirrel eyed him warily.

"I'm not going to do anything to you if you just _behave_ and you listen to what we tell you to do!" he snorted. "Honestly!"

Tanglepaw stifled a laugh at Hawkflight's exasperated tones. She knew he was half-joking, but it was still amusing.

For the third time Squirrel resumed to washing the blood off her fur and successfully completed the task without any interruptions.

Tanglepaw's ears flicked up as Lilykit and Oakkit tumbled out of the nursery. She gazed warmly at them. They were barely a quarter moon old. She caught Squirrel looking at the kits too. Leopardfang poked his head out from the nursery and glared hostilely at Squirrel. She held his gaze evenly until the warrior stalked up to her stiffly. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Am I not allowed to watch kits playing when they're right in front of me?" she spat back.

Leopardfang's tail lashed. "Yes!" He thrust his muzzle into her face. "I know what you did to the other kit."

Squirrel seemed caught off guard. "What other kit?"

Hawkflight pushed between the quarreling cats. "Enough!" he snapped. "Leopardfang, I'll make sure Squirrel doesn't do anything to your kits."

Leopardfang eyed the rogue. "See that she doesn't."

"But what about the kit?" Squirrel called after him. "What kit?"

Tanglepaw looked at her. "Why does it matter to you?" she asked mildly.

"I need to know!" Squirrel hissed. "I think I might know that kit!"

Hawkflight snorted. "Of course you know the kit. You killed it."

Squirrel's eyes flashed. "I didn't kill anyone—" She broke off. "I didn't kill any kit!" she corrected herself angrily.

"See, you _did_ kill someone," Tanglepaw told her dryly. "Honeysap!"

Squirrel blinked. "No, her name—"

Hawkflight pushed between the two cats. "Honestly, are you kits? Tanglepaw, have you hunted for the elders yet today?"

"No," Tanglepaw mumbled.

"Then do it." Hawkflight's gaze was cold.

As Tanglepaw trudged out of camp, she heard Squirrel protesting, "But I'm trying to tell you her name wasn't Honeysap!"

"It wasn't to you," Hawkflight growled, and Tanglepaw heard him hit her with a paw, claws sheathed. "We have a different system of naming than you do. Now…"

The voices faded as Tanglepaw walked farther into the woods.

By the time she returned, the young apprentice had caught a sparrow and two mice. She dropped the sparrow on the fresh-kill pile and trotted to the elders' den with the mice, and then her tail drooped as she remembered there was only one elder to feed. She turned back and set one mouse onto the pile, and then brought the other to Duskwing.

Duskwing thanked her and Tanglepaw quietly pushed out of the den, eager to see Squirrel again. She wanted to know if the rogue knew anything about the murdered kit. Maybe she hadn't been the one to kill it.

Tanglepaw approached Hawkflight warily. She didn't know how he would handle a new apprentice questioning a rogue taken prisoner. Hawkflight narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Tanglepaw?"

"Hi," she meowed as she trotted up. She noticed there was a new den made for Squirrel. There was an unusually narrow thorn-covered entrance, but the rest was somewhat comfortable, with a mossy nest in the corner. Tanglepaw noticed that the den just happened to be next to Brindlestar's.

Hawkflight just looked at her. "Do you need something?"

"No, not really." Tanglepaw tried her best to look unbothered. "Uh, I just wanted to, um, well…" She didn't know if it would be too risky to tell Hawkflight.

Hawkflight's whiskers twitched. "What do you want?"

"Ah, um, there's… I just—I need to ask—Um, Squirrel, she…" Tanglepaw shuffled her paws.

"For StarClan's sake, just spit it out, Tanglepaw!" Hawkflight hissed jokingly.

Tanglepaw opened her mouth but nothing came out. "Can I just… I just need… I need to talk to Squirrel! Alone!" she said finally.

Hawkflight's ear twitched. "You're not going out of camp, are you?"

"Well, where else would we go to be alone?" Tanglepaw snapped. It was such a simple question to be calling up all this trouble!

Hawkflight shook his head. "I'll have to come with you. Squirrel can't leave the camp without at least one warrior to guard her."

"Uh…" Tanglepaw hesitated. "What about two apprentices?"

The light tabby tom narrowed his eyes. "You and Stormypaw? No," he answered before she could finish. "But take Sunpaw if you want."

Tanglepaw's heart leaped. "Thank you!" she gasped, and raced to the apprentices' den.

"Stormypaw! Sunpaw!" she called through the entrance. The two apprentices were crouching in their nests, laughing and chatting.

"Come with me," she hissed, beckoning with her tail. "It's important."

Stormypaw and Sunpaw slid out of the den. "What are we going to do?" Stormypaw asked.

"You'll see." Tanglepaw walked up to Hawkflight.

"Noooo, tell me!" Stormypaw begged.

Tanglepaw stifled a sigh. "It has something to do with the prisoner."

"Oh!" Sunpaw gasped. "Let's go!"

Tanglepaw approached Squirrel. "Ready?" she asked the rogue. Squirrel looked at them contemptuously.

"Come _on,"_ Tanglepaw groaned. "It's important."

"Why should I listen to a couple of kits?" Squirrel hissed back.

"This one never stops, does she?" Sunpaw muttered to Stormypaw behind Tanglepaw.

"Because hopefully you've got at least a bit of sense in that head of yours!" Hawkflight's meow interrupted them. "You have to face it: you're a prisoner here. You might as well obey."

Squirrel hesitated, and then lashed her tail. "Fine." She struggled through the narrow den entrance. "Honestly, you'd think you're holding a rabbit in here!" she muttered.

Tanglepaw swallowed a purr. She already liked this cat. _No, what are you thinking?_ she asked herself. _This is a prisoner. A murderer!_ But Tanglepaw got the sense about her that she had no idea what was going on or what she was imprisoned here for. She could imagine if she was taken by a group of strange cats. She would not be happy.

The apprentices led Squirrel to the empty training hollow. "Okay," Tanglepaw began. "Do you know what I've brought you here for?"

Stormypaw and Sunpaw shook their heads, while Squirrel just gave a snort.

Tanglepaw took a deep breath. "First off, Squirrel, you have to learn to trust me. I promise I won't hurt you unless I have to. And the only reason I might have to is if you try to escape. So _don't,_ okay?"

Squirrel just looked at her, but Tanglepaw knew she had gotten her message across.

"I know you can't be happy about this, but I need you to answer some questions."

The gray she-cat opened her jaws, then clearly thought better of it and snapped them shut.

"You said you might have known a kit that was killed…" the apprentice told her. "Who might that kit have been?"

Squirrel eyed her. "M-My kit."

Stormypaw's eyes widened. "You have kits?"

"I _had_ one kit," Squirrel spat back angrily.

Tanglepaw leaned forward. "What happened to him?"

"He died." Squirrel looked at her. "What's this got to do with anything that's happening now?"

"Well—Well…" Tanglepaw nearly forgot the reason she had called the prisoner here. "Well, the Clan thinks you're a kit-killer. But you would never have murdered your own kit… Right?"

Squirrel shook her head vigorously. "Of course not!"

Stormypaw inched up to Tanglepaw. "She may be lying."

Tanglepaw whipped her head around. "What? Why would she kill her own kit?"

"No," Sunpaw hissed. "She might have killed the kit and lied about him being her own to cover up the murder."

Tanglepaw looked at him doubtfully. "I don't think so," she said tartly. "I can see the innocence and grief in her eyes."

"It's probably fake," Stormypaw sniffed.

"But you can't just go on doubting any cat that's not part of the Clan because of—" She broke off. It was pointless to argue.

"Let's just go back to camp," she growled.

While they were walking back, Tanglepaw leaned closer to Squirrel. "What did the kit look like?" she murmured.

Squirrel didn't hesitate this time. "He was a dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes."

Tanglepaw nodded thoughtfully. "I think that's what the kit looked like!" she gasped. "What was his name?"  
"Does it matter?" Squirrel asked her. Before Tanglepaw could reply, she answered, "Falcon."

"Hmm," Tanglepaw grunted. "Well, thanks." When they arrived at the thorn tunnel, Stormypaw and Sunpaw pushed in, but Tanglepaw and Squirrel stopped. "By the way, my name's Tanglepaw," she told the rogue.

Squirrel nodded. _Well, at least she seems comfortable with me now,_ Tanglepaw thought with relief.

Firtail poked her head through the thorn tunnel. "Squirrel? Tanglepaw?" She glanced around. "Does she have a guard?"

Tanglepaw quickly explained, leaving out the part about the kit, and Firtail nodded. "Well, get back into the camp. We can't have her running away."

Tanglepaw's tail-tip twitched at Firtail's superior tones toward the prisoner. She could tell Squirrel didn't like it either; she flattened her ears and stomped back into the hollow. Firtail took up a guard spot beside her den. Tanglepaw quickly trotted past Squirrel, shooting a whisper into her ear as she passed: "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

 **Ohhhh I'm so sorry Squirrel for what I did to you! But it makes the story go on :3**

 **So? Long chapter, yes, but it was a major point! Here are some questions for anyone who wants to review...?**

 **-What do you think about Squirrel? Is she innocent?**

 **-What do you think about Sunpaw and Stormypaw?**


	7. Just an Apprentice

**Hi!**

 **Responses to reviews:**

 **WildChild13: Thanks! I really appreciate your feedback.**

 **Eagle Hawke: Okay, okay! Here it is! Sorry :P**

The next day, Tanglepaw slid out of the apprentices' den as the sun rose. She was going on the dawn patrol with Crowflower and Leopardfang. She met the warriors outside and trotted out of the tunnel.

The chilly air made her pelt spike. This would be Tanglepaw's first leaf-fall. The air had a crisp, sharp scent that hurt her nose and throat.

She padded at the back of the patrol as they approached the lake. As they neared the shore, the trees opened up, allowing Tanglepaw to see the Gathering Island. Her tail fluffed in excitement. Tonight was the Gathering! Would Brindlestar choose her to go? It would be her first time meeting the other Clans in peace.

"Are you coming, Tanglepaw?" Crowflower asked.

Tanglepaw's head whipped around to see the two warriors stopped. "Have you got a thorn in your paw?" the black she-cat queried.

"Oh, yeah." Tanglepaw walked up to them. "I mean, n-no."

Leopardfang shot a questioning glance toward her mentor, but Crowflower just flicked an ear at him. "Then let's get moving."

They checked and marked all the borders, passing by the abandoned Twoleg nest as they prepared to go back to camp. Tanglepaw remembered how the gray she-cat had murdered Honeysap in this spot. She glanced down and shrieked in horror, then fluffed out her pelt in embarrassment.

"What happened?" Crowflower spun around.

"Oh, um, nothing…" Tanglepaw licked her ruffled chest fur. "I-I just saw…" She indicated the ground she had been standing on with her tail. It was stained with brown. Dried blood.

"Oh." Crowflower slowly came up to her apprentice and laid her tail across her shoulders. "I know it's been hard, and scary." She was looking at Tanglepaw sympathetically. "But now we've captured her murderer and have everything under control." Her eyes darkened. "Squirrel will not get another chance to hurt our Clanmates."

A shiver passed down Tanglepaw's spine, for a reason she did not yet know. Crowflower was trying to comfort her, she knew that, but it didn't help. Her words just made everything more mysterious.

On the way back to the hollow, Tanglepaw tried not to admit it to herself. She knew it was impossible to avoid what she thought, because it sat in the back of her mind and grew, adding all the information up. She didn't believe Sunpaw. She didn't believe her sister. Or Bristlethorn, or Frostedwind, or Firtail, or Pineleap, or Dawnsplash. She didn't believe her mentor, or her deputy, or her leader, or any of her Clanmates.

Tanglepaw just _knew_ that Squirrel couldn't have killed Honeysap.

…

When the patrol arrived at the camp entrance, Tanglepaw was about to follow Leopardfang in when Crowflower stopped her.

"What?" Tanglepaw asked.

Crowflower beckoned her into a small clearing and sat down. Tanglepaw sat down too, looking at her mentor nervously. Did she know what she had been doing yesterday?

"Tanglepaw," Crowflower began slowly, "I know you've been up to something."

The tabby apprentice froze. _She knows!_ Her heart pounded until she thought it was going to jump out of her chest as Crowflower went on.

"It's something that's worrying you, I know that." Her green gaze was serious. "I've seen the way you've been acting ever since Squirrel arrived. Jumpy, scared, and very distracted. If you expect to become a warrior on time, you have to speed things up and start trying harder."

Tanglepaw's heart lurched. This was not how she had expected their talk to go. "If you don't want to tell me about what's bothering you, you don't have to," Crowflower continued. "But you will have to focus on your training more. You are an apprentice of ThunderClan. You are going to be a warrior of ThunderClan. Be proud of it!" Crowflower stood up.

"Get some prey for yourself, and then meet me at the training hollow. We're practicing for battle with Sunpaw and Stormypaw." Tanglepaw nodded, relieved to be free of her mentor's questions, and then raced to the camp.

She picked a starling for herself and quickly gulped it down, slipping into the apprentices' den to prod Stormypaw and Sunpaw awake. "Battle training," she whispered, and pulled out.

By the time they had arrived, Tanglepaw's mind was sparking with ideas. Crowflower had told her that she must pay more attention to her training. But how could she do that, if she always had Squirrel on her mind? How could she do that, if she always had to talk to Squirrel and keep everything a secret? How could she do that, if she had to either convince Stormypaw and Sunpaw to see the good in the rogue, or keep it a secret from them too? She couldn't take Squirrel out by herself because she needed at least one warrior to guard her. _I guess I'll just have to wait until I'm a warrior,_ she thought sulkily. _Wait…_

 _Maybe I can find a warrior to help me! Ravenfrost? No, she wouldn't approve of this… Frostedwind? No, he was much too harsh with Squirrel. Not Crowflower…_ Suddenly Tanglepaw's pelt bushed with excitement. _I can be a warrior!_ she thought. _I'll just have to work extra hard in my training, like Crowflower said, and then I'll be able to talk—_

"Tanglepaw!" Crowflower's hiss made her jump. "What's wrong with you today?" Cherryfrost looked like she was about to protest at the warrior's sharp tone but Crowflower silenced her. "What are we doing?" she asked her apprentice.

"I-I…" Tanglepaw stammered. "I don't know…" She hung her head. Crowflower was right. She had to put Squirrel out of her mind for now and concentrate on her training. Once she had finished, she would be a warrior and do things on her own time. "I'm sorry."

Crowflower narrowed her eyes. "We're trying a freestyle battle imitation. Do you know what that is?" Tanglepaw shook her head, still looking down. She glanced up as Hollythorn spoke.

"You three have already learned a lot of good battle moves. But we have been practicing them individually. In a real battle, you will use more than one battle move, and you won't know what your enemy is about to do." She gazed around the clearing at all the cats. "Some will be bigger than you, or smaller than you, or faster than you. You never know. So now, we will put all your skills to the test."

Cherryfrost stepped forward. "All six of us will participate in the battle. Claws _sheathed,"_ she added, staring at Stormypaw.

"Sorry," she muttered. Tanglepaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. Stormypaw often forgot that training wasn't a real battle and instinctively unsheathed her claws.

Hollythorn looked the line of cats up and down. "Tanglepaw, Sunpaw, and I will be ShadowClan. Crowflower, Stormypaw, and Cherryfrost will be RiverClan."

The five other cats nodded. "Okay, let's begin!" Crowflower called, and leaped straight for Tanglepaw. Tanglepaw jumped away in surprise, Crowflower's paws pounding the spot where she had been a moment earlier.

Crowflower didn't hesitate. She dealt a frontal paw blow to Tanglepaw's ear then sprang back out of range. It took Tanglepaw a few heartbeats to get herself focused.

She leapt forward, paws outstretched, but Crowflower batted her away. Tanglepaw got to her paws, shaking the ringing out of her head. She hadn't expected Crowflower to be this tricky.

Crowflower sprang at her again, aiming for her ears. Tanglepaw felt a rush of pride as she fended her off with her paws, but it quickly dissolved as her paws were swept out from under her. Shaking scraps of moss out of her pelt, she realized what her mentor had done.

She had jabbed one forepaw high, making Tanglepaw instinctively look at it, but swung the other low, tripping her and making her lose her footing.

In the heartbeat it took for Tanglepaw to process the information, the warrior had already sprung away.

Stormypaw leapt for her instead, and Tanglepaw thought fast, flipping onto her back and meeting her with all four paws, claws unsheathed. She ripped at her sister's belly fur. Stormypaw shrieked in surprise as she saw blood staining her forelegs.

"Sorry!" Tanglepaw gasped, but Stormypaw had already raced away. _I didn't mean to,_ she thought to herself.

Looking around through the tussling cats for another enemy, she noticed Cherryfrost being batted away by Hollythorn. Tanglepaw lunged at the golden tabby but she nimbly ducked away. Tanglepaw copied her mentor and pretended to attack her ears, but secretly stretched out one forepaw to sweep Cherryfrost's paws from under her. As soon as she was on the ground, Tanglepaw pinned her down. It was hard to keep her on the ground, but the apprentice managed to because of Cherryfrost's small size. She noticed Crowflower staring at her warmly, and Tanglepaw guessed she had seen her use her move.

Cherryfrost used her brief distraction to get away, and Tanglepaw was about to give chase when Hollythorn called her back. "We've got two down," she told her. "There's just Crowflower left."

All three cats from the ShadowClan team circled the black warrior. She quickly sprang out of the circle and raced to the edge of the hollow. "You've won," she told them.

Tanglepaw and Sunpaw leapt into the air in joy, while Hollythorn nodded, signaling for Cherryfrost and Stormypaw to come back. All six cats looked ruffled and tired. "That was great work," Cherryfrost praised them. "Now let's get back to camp and get something to eat."

Tanglepaw quickly told Stormypaw and Sunpaw as they arrived at the fresh-kill pile: "Stormypaw, you get something for Tigerwing. Sunpaw, get something for Duskwing. I'll bring some prey to Squirrel." She wanted to talk to the rogue. The other two apprentices nodded and picked up some fresh-kill before Tanglepaw took a good-sized thrush to Squirrel. Now Birdfall was at her guard.

"This is for Squirrel," Tanglepaw told her, and the small black warrior nodded. "Squirrel, Tanglepaw brought something for you."

Squirrel's head poked out of the den. "Thanks," she told the apprentice, and took it into the den.

"Um, can I—" Tanglepaw began to ask Birdfall, but broke off. She had to wait until she was a warrior to take Squirrel out on her own.

"What?" Birdfall asked her.

"Oh, n-nothing." Tanglepaw trotted off to the apprentices' den, grabbing a quick mouse before slipping inside.

 **I'm probably not going to update very often... This story was written when I was not that good of a writer :P I** ** _might_** **even discontinue it, but for now, it's still going!**

 **Questions?**

 **-How's Tanglepaw? Is she right?**

 **-How's Crowflower?  
Sorry I'm moving things a bit fast... That's just how I write.**


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